Listening to the music of Ichiko Aoba is like calmly drifting along on a series of oceanic swells without having any idea of where you’re going. You’ve given up some portion of agency so that you can experience the mystery of her world, the transient arpeggios and orchestral ripples tracing faint outlines along the edges of her work. On her latest single, “SONAR”, she continues to call to us from the water’s edge, creating a crystalline lattice of piano chords and gossamer rhythms that undulate to their own inner chronology. Her voice manages to be both ethereal and grounding, a place of refuge for anyone seeking shelter from the tempestuous tides that threaten to upend our tenuous hold on everything we hold dear.
The song comes packaged with a video from longtime collaborator Kodai Kobayashi who uses CGI to create an atmosphere of magical realism — it’s like watching a live action Studio Ghibli movie or something from the softer thoughts of Gullermo del Toro. The visuals aren’t meant to be understood so much as they are meant to be felt, to be experienced. It’s a perfect blending of sonic mysticism and optical wizardry. You’ll be drawn back repeatedly to both the song and its video in an attempt to unravel the secrets they suggest.
Watch the clip below.
Luminescent Creatures is due out February 28 via hermine/Psychic Hotline. You can pre-order the album here. Follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
